


War Of One - {GTA IV}

by FreshPrinceOfLosSantos



Series: Beyond Liberty City Stories [1]
Category: Grand Theft Auto IV
Genre: Bosnian War, Cousins, GTA, Grand theft auto, Other, War, don't expect cousin incest, frienship, grand theft auto 4, grand theft auto IV - Freeform, gta 4, gta iv, that's gross, yugoslavia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-09-29 22:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10146581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreshPrinceOfLosSantos/pseuds/FreshPrinceOfLosSantos
Summary: What happened before Liberty City.When Roman and Niko were kids and lived together in a small village in Serbia during the war in the 90s. A lot of things happened a lot of hurt, pain and suffering.This is their story about how they made it out.{Story is in English but all dialogue is referred to be translated from Serbian.}





	1. Cousins

~ 1991 ~

"You stupid whore!" The sound of a bottle smashing and a women's shriek rumbled in the kitchen downstairs. Another sling of Serbian curse words polluted the room, filling the air like smoke. Roman had his ear against the floorboards of his bedroom. Fear stung inside of him. The sound of his father's meaty hands oh his mother pained him deeply. He moved slightly, this caused the floorboards to creak. Suddenly all noise from downstairs halted. Roman didn't dare breath. He heard the heavy footsteps angrily on the stairs before the figure of his father broke down the bedroom door. He swerved and swayed as he walked, totally drunk.

"What are you still doing up, boy? Get your ass in bed you useless prick!" His father kicked him in the ribs as Roman tried to get up off the floor. The air in his lungs got forced out of him as the boot connected with his torso. Roman grabbed the side of his body as he collapsed back onto the floor. His father left the room slamming the bedroom door behind him.

Roman climbed back into bed and waited until there was no noise in the house and that every light had been turned off. Roman's head hurt at the sound of his mother crying herself to sleep in the downstairs bedroom. When the village street was silent at last. Roman climbed back out of bed and lit an oil lamp which he hung from the ceiling.

He took off his shirt which was torn and dirty and looked in the cracked mirror in the corner of the bedroom. Ever since the war started there had been a shortage of food. everyone in their village had been dropping weight exponentially. Even Roman's mother who had always been a plump woman was looking more like a Vinewood trophy wife these days. Roman turned to inspect his ribs, he saw a large purple footprint branded on his body. He touched it softly but it still hurt him. Roman flinched as the tips of his fingers brushed his skin.

He put his shirt back on. Roman opened the door to his bedroom slightly, it was barely hanging onto the doorframe after his father had abused it by kicking it in and slamming it closed. He closed the door behind him softly. Roman crept down the stairs. His mother was curled up on the couch, her face was bruised and the area above her lip was bloodstained from a bleeding nose. Roman crept up to her and pulled a blanket over her always thinning body.

"I'm sorry, mama," Roman whispered to her as she slept. "I wish I could do something." Roman sneaked over to the door. He put on his shoes and jacket. He opened the front door and looked out into the dirt streets. He closed the front door softly and ran off down the road.

His Aunt's house was a couple of streets down. Roman loved his aunt very much but she was a troubled woman. She was highly strung and had been torn almost to pieces by her wretch of a husband. Roman found the whole ordeal very sad.

When Roman got to the end of the street that his Aunt lived on. He walked up to her home and knocked on the window. Only one window still had glass in it. The rest of the window glass had been shattered in an air raid a couple of months ago. He waited patiently in the cold of the night until the door was opened. Roman's aunt smiled when she saw him standing in the doorway.

"Rodavan isn't here is he?" Roman asked. Rodavan was his Uncle, his father's brother. They weren't too fond of each other but they had one thing in common, they liked to get drunk and beat their wives and their kids.

"No, honey," she said lovingly putting her hand on Roman's shoulder. "Come in." She lead Roman into her come which was lit by candlelight. "The boys are upstairs. I think there is room for one more." She told him as she went back into the kitchen. Roman's aunt looked around to see there was nobody outside their home to hear their conversation before asking Roman, "Are you hurt?"

Roman lifted up his shirt so his Aunt could see the footprint which was now turning darker in colour and was still very painful. Roman's aunt gasped when she saw his bruises. "Let me bandage that for you, dear, dear." She said opening one of her cupboards. She helped Roman bandage his ribs and pressed a bag of frozen peas to the bruised area. Roman thanked her for her kindness. "You should head upstairs, sweetheart." She told him. "Before your Uncle comes back, we wouldn't want him to know you are here." Roman nodded as he walked up the stairs towards the bedroom of his Aunt's sons.

Roman was fourteen at the time. He had two cousins, Niko who was thirteen and Fillip who was twelve. The three of them had always been close, they were inseparable really. Niko and Fillip were talking quietly amongst each other, both sitting on the mattress they shared. When Roman entered both boys sat up quite quickly, they had slightly concerned looks on their faced. They looked as though they were expecting to see their father in the doorway but were both relieved to see it was just Roman. Fillip got up and ran over to him as he began to enter the room.

"Roman!" He cried happily as he went and hugged him, being careful not to touch his ribs. Roman laughed as Fillip held him tight. Niko stayed on the mattress, he smiled at Roman, happy to see him also. Niko had always been a little introverted, he didn't talk much. Especially not as much as Roman and Fillip would talk. "What are you doing here?" Fillip asked innocently.

"My father is having a moment." He said simply, he didn't want to trouble his younger cousins with any gory details. Fillip looked at him, very understanding, as their father was prone to having moments of drunken rage also. The two younger boys made space for Roman on their mattress that sat on the floor in the corner of the room.

"I heard there was going to be more planes tonight." Fillip said setting some cushions down on the mattress. "Do you think they'll drop anything in our village?" He asked

"No," Niko said. "They'd want to be bombing the cities. They wouldn't bother coming down here, to our village." He said as he got into bed.

Fillip shrugged and got into bed next to his brother, snuggling up tight to keep them both warm. "Roman, I saved you a spot." Fillip said motioning to a space on the mattress. Roman smiled and climbed in next to him. The three of them closed their eyes, hoping to fall asleep before the sirens went off.


	2. Sunday, Bloody Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some background on one of the things Roman says in the mission 'The Cousins Bellic" where he reminds Niko how they learnt English of the English girls they met when they were kids

It was Sunday, around 3:00 pm. Once the cousin's fathers had gotten home from work, their mothers had decided to kick them out for a while. Just enough time for their fathers to get too drunk to be able to swing at anyone. There was a basketball court East of the village. Some of the local kids would come down and play often. Everyone was very poor, Serbia had been poor before the war and now it was even worse. Niko and Fillip had always been very active and sporty. They had salvaged an old ball they'd found abandoned in a trash pile near their house and pumped it full of air. Niko was a few inches taller than Fillip but he was slowly catching up. Besides, Fillip was faster.

Roman, on the other hand, was nerdier. He was good at school, he knew a lot of obscure facts, he liked to read. A much more quiet and reserved kind of boy. He made an effort to join in when his cousins would play games but he got worn out quicker and never really could get the hang of any kind of sport. 

As the sun was on its way down, Fillip was able to outrun Niko and get the ball in the hoop without his big brother knocking it out of his hands. Fillip gave an excited cry as the ball went through the hoop. Niko smiled as he stopped to catch his breath. Roman sat by their bikes, reading. However, Romans b-grade science fiction novel his grandfather had given him wasn't getting much love at the time because Roman had spotted something even more interesting.

Outside a small store on the corner of one of the streets stood two young women. Sixteen at the youngest, eighteen at the eldest. They were smoking cigarettes and speaking in a language Roman didn't understand. It wasn't Greek or Russian or any other of those languages that had been popping up since the war had begun and the allies had come over. It was something different. Roman was getting to an age where girls had started to become more and more interesting to him, Niko was the same. Fillip, however, may have still been a bit young to get the fascination his brother and cousin shared but it would all come in good time.

Niko and Fillip came over to the bikes to get some water, the two of them were short of breath. Niko more so than Fillip who was an absolute beast on the court. "Aw, man." Niko huffed between gulps of water. Roman giggled. Niko took a seat beside his cousin, Fillip stuck close to his brother, who he looked up to very much.

"Who do you think those girls are?" Roman said pointing out the two young women outside the store.

"Not from here." Niko mentioned, "Look at how they're dressed, whoever they are the have money." Roman agreed.

"We should say hello!" Roman suggested. He'd always been very outgoing.

"No!" Niko replied he's always been very shy.

"Why not?" Roman exclaimed punching his cousin lovingly in the arm. "They're foreign, yes? They could have some good stories."

"Because" Niko started sounding more serious now. "I think they're from Britain." He said the last part softly.

"Well great!" Roman exclaimed. "Even better to talk with them then. You know, I've always wanted to go to Britain."

"Ugh, you've always wanted to go everywhere," Niko said throwing his hands in the air. "No, I mean they're British in the scene that they are allies to the Croatians. Their fathers must be enemy soldiers, that must be why they are here."

Roman slumped, "Oh, I guess your right." After a moment Fillip rapidly poked Niko shoulder. "Look! They are coming over here!" Fillip whispered.

"Shit," Niko hissed as he started to get up off the ground, Roman and Fillip followed. Before they could leave, the two girls cried out to them.

"Hi!" One of them said in English. She had long blonde hair and wore a low-cut top.

"Shit, what do we do." Niko hissed at Roman.

"Relax man, they just want to talk," Roman said putting a hand on his cousin's shoulder. "They said hello, I know this." Roman watched a lot of American television. More so than any of his friends and family members and he knew how to say a thing or too.

"Wow, looks like all that reality TV came in handy then, eh?" Niko teased.

"Come off it," Roman replied. He stepped up closer to the girls, one of the, taller than him, one shorter. He waved. "Hello." He said in English "My name is Roman." He paused trying to think of something else he could say. "Ugh, this is name is Niko," Roman said motioning at his cousin. The two girls laughed at Romans broken English.

"What the fuck did you say about me?" Niko asked panicked.

"Chill out, I'm just trying to introduce us," Roman replied. Niko rolled his eyes, the British girls were still giggling.  
"This is Niko's a brother. Fillip." The girls laughed even harder.

"You're awful at this," Niko complained Fillip laughed.

"He's so cute." One of the girls said to her friend. She nodded, still giggling

"Roman, what are they saying?" Fillip asked.

"Ugh, I don't know."

"You boys are sweet." Said one girl in Serbian.

Roman looked baffled. "You speak Serbian?" He asked

The other girl giggled. "Yes, not much. But yes. Better than your English." She laughed.

"Are your father's soldiers?" Niko asked, holding his brother close to him.

"Pilots," One of the girls corrected. The other was scribbling down something on a notepad. She tore it off and gave it to Roman. He took it, it had both girls phone numbers on it.

"Call us," she said in English with a smile. But she put her hand to her ear in the shape of a telephone so Roman could understand. They then turned to walk away, chatting away in English as they went.

"My god," Roman said, "Cousin, I think I just got us some big English titties!"

"You need to stop," Niko said getting on his bike, Fillip did the same.

"What are titties?" Fillip asked.

"Shh." Niko snapped.

Roman got on his bike and the three of them took off down the road towards Roman's aunt's house. The sun was starting to set, the light leaked over a nearby pond, and there was smoke in the air from bombs that had gone off in neighbouring cities and countries.

What a night.


	3. The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some background on some of the things Niko and Roman say during GTA IV. Such as when Niko mentions that his and Roman's fathers were abusive and how Roman's mother pretty much raised them both.

~ Later that year ~

Fillip and Niko sat on the front steps of their home, talking, sitting, doing not much else. Life had been pretty shit for quite a while now. Niko and Fillip's family had been very poor in the past. They had only gotten electricity in their home at the beginning of last year. As small children, they had longed for the day they could see a cupboard full of food, and now they had to walk the supermarket aisles to see them completely bare. It caused a lot of stress for everyone.

"I just don't understand why we have to fight." Fillip said looking at the ground.

"I know," Niko replied putting his arm around his little brother. "I know." It was at this time that the sound of bike tires against dirt roads grew loud, Roman could be seen coming down the street on his bike, peddling fast, with a big smile on his face. He pulled up outside his cousin's house, putting his bike helmet and backpack down near the steps. "Why do you look so happy?" Niko asked raising an eyebrow.

"Rebecca and I had a wonderful time." Rebecca was the younger of the two girls the three boys had met a couple of minutes months ago. Roman had later found out that she was from England and her father was a pilot and had been posted in Croatia for a while and had brought his family with him. His daughter had a pen pal but go was in a similar situation but she was in Serbia. The two met up.

Roman always bragged about how Rebecca had always thought Roman was attractive. The two of them had been spending some serious time together over the last few months, more often than not Roman would bring Niko on one of their rendezvous. This was uncomfortable for him most of the time but he learnt a lot about a Great Britain in talking with Rebecca, who was unintentionally teaching them both how to speak some English. This made the both of them feel cultured and special.

Of course, another thing about Rebecca that kept Roman coming back was that she was an early bloomer and had no problem flaunting her sexuality. Even in a country like Serbia where female sexuality isn't often celebrated and slut shaming is a pretty big phenomenon. It didn't seem to bother her, though, and it certainly didn't bother Niko and Roman. However, Niko had stopped seeing her as much now for as of recently there had been some trouble at home.

Fillip was wearing two black eyes on the day Roman came to visit. He crouched down to look at his cousin's face more carefully. "I'm sorry this happened," Roman said softly.

"Don't be," Niko replied. "What could you have done?"

Roman sighed as he sat down next to Niko on the step. "I don't know, I'd like to think I could have done something."

"Don't we all," Niko remarked. "So, tell me more about your oh so wonderful time with Rebecca."

"She's doing fine, yes. However, I don't think we'll be seeing each other anymore."

Niko raised his eyebrow again. "You were seeing each other?"

"Well, not like that. I mean seeing her as in just sitting and talking a couple times a week." Roman explained

"Ah," Niko replied. "So why won't you be seeing her?"

"She's got to go back to England. I think her mother realised she'd made a big mistake coming here when she could be at home." Niko chuckled at this.

"This country is pretty shit." He remarked. "All the people are shit too." He said looking over at Fillip who's eyes were so swollen he looked like a purple balloon.

"You can say that again," Roman said. "Come on, let's go back to my house. My mother has been dying to see you both." Roman got back on his bike and lead his cousins' back to his mother's home. She was cooking in their kitchen when they arrived.

Roman's mother was the most giving and loving woman any of the boys had ever met. She was never afraid to bring Niko and Fillip into her home, to feed them, clothes them give them a place to sleep. She was like a second mother to the boys, she'd always treated them like they were her own. She had been saving yo ever since the war broke out to send Roman and his cousins to America, where they would be safe and free from all bad things. However, she realised this would take her years to save for. But she had hope, which is what Niko and Fillip found so inspiring about her.

When she saw her nephews come in she rushed over to hug them both. She was distraught to see the state of young Fillip's face and offered him some ice. "I'm so glad you boys showed up! I just finished cooking! Take a seat." The three of them sat at the kitchen table, Fillip was pressing ice to his face.

Niko felt guilty about taking food from his aunt, given that she hadn't even made enough for her own family. However, Niko knew that she would be offended if he didn't take it. Besides, it was better than nothing. Niko's mother was in such a state that he knew she wouldn't be cooking tonight, and maybe even the next night. Romans mother, however, had just gotten back from the market with rice, beans, chicken and a few fresh vegetables.

Roman's mother gave the boys what she could, a small bowl each of food, it smelt great. Fillip and Niko thanked her for her kindness as the four of them sat down to eat. Roman asked his mother where his father was as he ate his meal. "I think he is down at some bar, dear." She explained to Roman. They three of them could tell she was feeling frustrated. However, Roman's mother had always had this unbelievable kind of enthusiasm and optimism which had stayed with her through her whole life. She was a fighter.

As the three boys finished their chicken and rice. Niko seemed more satisfied than he had for a long time. His stomach was full and he felt warm inside his Aunt's home. He turned to see that Fillip's face was beginning to stop swelling, he turned again to see Roman smiling and laughing at something his mother had said. I guess some of her optimism had rubbed off onto the both of them. Because for the first time, he felt confident as to what lied ahead.


	4. Oh, Baby Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by some dialogue from when Roman and Niko hang out where Roman teases Niko for liking a girl when they were kids.

"I see the way you look at her NB," Roman teased. "Because she looks at me the same way!" Niko sipped a soda pop on the bench outside their school house. Roman was being annoying, as usual.

"Shut up, Roman. I don't like her." Niko said annoyed, he was blushing.

"Yes, you do!" Roman teased again. "Niko Bellic loves Mila Tardic!" He sang

"Roman, please!" Niko begged. Roman chuckled.

"Alright, Niko." He said softly, taking a seat next to his cousin. "I'll stop, but you must admit. It's pretty funny." He laughed.

"Really? Because I wasn't seeing it that way." Niko said under his breath. He squashed the soda can under his boot and threw it in the trash can.

"Speak of the devil," Roman said in his cousin's ear. Niko looked up to see a girl walking anxiously towards them both. She had long blonde hair which was in pigtails. She wore a dungaree dress and had a flannel shirt tied around her waist. Niko's face turned even pinker than it had been before.

"Hey, Niko!" She called out as she came closer, she waved slightly.

"Ugh," Niko stammered. "Hi, Mila." Niko was nervous, this made Roman crack up.

"Hey, Roman." Mila twirled her long hair around one finger. She fidgeted in her place and blushed slightly. This made Niko feel uncomfortable and kinda distraught.

Roman chuckled. "Hey, Mila. What's up." Roman used his charm to make Mila squirm in place.

"Um, not much." She giggled nervously. She said nothing for a minute. "Okay, bye!" She said before running away. When Mila had run off, Roman turned to his cousin and laughed.

"Isn't this grand." He remarked. "Niko loves Mila, Mila loves Roman and Roman is a sexy beast. What a complicated love story!"

"Fuck you, cousin," Niko said standing up, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. "I'm going home. I will see you later." He said turning away from Roman.

"Alright, man. I'll see you around." Roman said waving to his cousin. Niko took off down the dirt road towards his home. He was going to pick Fillip up on the way back, he would be at the basketball courts with his friends, or he should be. Niko trudged along, the air was growing colder at Autumn approached them.

When Niko arrived at the courts, he was surprised to see Fillip talking to a man he didn't know. He had a slightly darker skin tone and was wearing a soldier's uniform. He must have been a Croation. Niko didn't like the look of this and he rushed over to his brother who was talking with this man.

"What is going on here?" Niko called out to the soldier and his brother.

"None of your business, bucko." The soldier sneered.

"Well, yes it is, given you are speaking to my brother." Niko scowled. "We'll be going home now." Niko grabbed Fillip's hand. "Come now," Niko said in English so the soldier didn't understand him.

Niko dragged Fillip along, taking him back to the road and took him back to their house. When the soldier was out of sight Niko began to scold him. "What is wrong with you!" Niko scowled at his brother.

"What?" Fillip whined.

"That's an enemy soldier! He's been dropping bombs on our friends! Why are you like this?" Niko turned away disappointed.

"I'm sorry." Fillip said sadly. He didn't want to disappoint his brother who he looked up to so much. Niko took a deep breath.

"I know," he said softly. "I'm sorry too, I'm just trying to look after you." The brothers hugged each other for a moment before continuing on home.

****

"You re so fucking useless, Mallica!" Niko and Fillip's father screamed from the other side of the kitchen table. They were having butter d bread for dinner. The boy's father had come home for dinner for the first time in weeks. 

"If I knew this was all I would get from you girl I would have stayed away!" He said pushing a stack of plates off the table. His wife sobbed, Niko held his mother's hand under the table, he ran his thumb across her knuckles to relax her. "You stupid cunt." He snarled as he stormed out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, where he collapsed on the bed and smoked a cigarette.

The boy's mother put her head in her hands and cried softly. Her sons embraced her, telling her that they were going to be alright. The two of them weren't sure if they actually believed that, but it was their mother would tell them when they were sad, and it always helped. "Boys, I just need to be alone, okay." Their mother said to them. "I love you." She said holding her sons.

"We love you too," Niko whispered back kissing his mother on the cheek. Niko lead Fillip out the front door 's still daylight they put on their coats and started walking towards Roman's house.

When they arrived, the first thing they saw was their Uncle passed out drunk on the steps leading up to the house. The two of them sneaked past him and into the house. Their aunt was very excited to see them.

"My boys!" She called quietly enough to not wake her husband. "I was wondering when you'd come over, I have missed you both!" She said hugging the both of them and kissing the, on their cheeks. "Roman! Come down and welcome your cousins!" She called upstairs. Roman came trudging down the stairs. "You boys should go play's still daylighted out. I'm making pie! I'll call you!" She said showing the three of them back outside.

"Bye Mama," Roman said waving to his mother. The three of them knew that there was a reason why Roman's mother was reluctant to have them inside. They understood it wasn't uncommon, it had never been. They sat in Roman's backyard, throwing stones at the back fence of the house. The three of them were quite bored, but the yelling of Roman's father which they could hear inside the home told them it wasn't time to go back in yet.

"So, NB. You will never guess what happened after you left this afternoon." Roman said chucking a small pebble across the yard.

"Hm," Niko go ranked reluctantly "What?"

"Well, Mila Tardic and I. You know, we had a little talk," Roman said slowly.

Niko sat up. "And what?"

"I told her it wasn't going to work out between us, cousin. That it was nothing personal, but I couldn't do that to you, cousin." Roman chuckled

"You're such a dork." Niko snarled. Fillip and Roman laughed.

"You don't say, cousin."

The sirens blared again, telling the cousins it was time to go back inside and pray the bombs didn't drop on their homes tonight. Niko and Fillip's mother knew they would be safe, so they stayed with Roman that night. They closed their eyes tightly as they lay in their beds, hoping that they'd see better days soon.


	5. Blood On My Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some background on something Niko tells Packie about his brother when they are hanging out together.

The bombs had dropped the night before, not too far from the boy's village. They had heard soldiers on the ground in the night. Fillip had asked his mother why they were here, she couldn't answer, and neither could his brother or his cousin. The world outside was cold and the sky was filled with smoke. When Niko, Fillip and Roman went out one Saturday morning to play, the world seemed much quieter.

The boys shivered in their coats and their boots slushed in the melting snow. Fillip jogged in front of his brother and cousin, leading them into a nice small field of freshly trimmed grass. They used to play there every day a few summers ago but they had gotten busy once the war had started. Busy looking after their families, busy trying to find a way to school that wasn't blocked or guarded, busy trying to have a normal life.

But the world had seemed to be frozen in time, they hoped there would be enough time to have a little fun before anarchy ensued once again.Fillip dodged through withering trees, with the soccer ball under his arm. Niko and Roman followed close behind.

The field wasn't as green as it was in the summer, patches were dying and the whole area had a strange brown tint to it, but it was still nice. It was a nice place to get away from their fathers, play for a while and maybe have the lunch Roman's mother had packed for them. When they'd arrived, Fillip didn't hesitate to kick the ball to Roman, who ducked and coward as it came towards him. Niko laughed at this.

Fillip and Niko kicked the ball to each other for a while. Roman stood awkwardly on the sideline. "I want to go to America," Roman said, with his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah?" Niko replied, his breaths were short from kicking the ball around for the best part of forty-five minutes.

"Yeah, I've seen it on the television and in the magazines, it looks like the greatest place on earth." Roman smiled

"What's so good about it?" Fillip asked

Roman sighed. "Where do I start?" He looked up at the sky, trying to imagine he was somewhere else. "There is no war, not now at least. They haven't had a war on their soil since the nineteenth century."

"Sound pretty good." Niko joked, kicking the ball to his brother who jumped at it enthusiastically. 

"There is plenty of food, enough for everyone and more. In America everyone has money and everyone has a home and a family. Everyone has a job and an opportunity. In America, everyone is educated and everyone is happy."

"But what about the people that are not?" Niko asked.

"Those people aren't unfortunate in the way we are. In America, EVERYONE can succeed no matter who you are. Some people choose not to take the opportunities that are given to them. Some prefer hard drugs, some prefer to give up. But not me, Niko. Not us."

"You think it's that easy, Roman?"

"It has to be," Roman said as he came back into reality, where the world was cold and dark.

"I hope you can go to America one day," Niko said.

"You should come with me, cousin. And you too Fillip."

"I doubt that will happen," Niko said under his breath. 

Roman looked worried. "Why not?"

Niko breathed deeply. "I think I'm going to serve." He said quietly.

"What?" Roman asked, not hearing him

"I'm going to fight," Niko said louder, this time in English as not to frighten his brother. The two of them sometimes spoke in English around Fillip when they were engaging in conversation they didn't want him to hear.

Roman said nothing for a moment. "You can't, cousin. No."

"But I have to, Roman. I don't have a choice."

"Of course you do cousin! You can come to America with me."

"And leave my mother to die in this wicked country? Not fucking likely."

Roman remained silent for another minute. "If you think that is what you have to do, I can't stop you," he said softly.

Niko just nodded in agreement. Fillip looked a little confused but he didn't care much, he was having too much fun.

They all stopped playing after a while to relax and drink from the well. Fillip was full of energy and could play for weeks without stopping, but Niko and Roman needed a break. Fillip continued to kick the ball around the field by himself for a while, while the cousins sat in the shade.

The sun peeked through the gaps in the sky, the ones that were not covered by smog and dust. The smell of the grass on the mountainside lingered and the dewy grass sparkled in the afternoon light. Everything seemed normal, even grand at the time. But little did the cousins know this was the minute their lives would change.

Fillip was kicking the ball up in the air, when it came down he kicked it up again. The cousins watched him play, talking quietly amongst each other about school, friends and other mundane topics. Fillip kicked the ball really high and really hard, the ball went flying out of the field and into the shrubs several hundred meters from where they were playing "I'll get it!" Fillip yelled as he jogged towards where the ball had landed.

Last night was Niko and Roman's last night without nightmares. There was no way they could know that now, but they'd soon find out. Fillip ran into the shrub, he was only two feet away from the ball when it happened. While the cousins were sitting and talking, suddenly they heard a loud explosion. So big and so loud that it defended them both for a few seconds. When they'd come back around, Niko had jumped to his feet, he looked over in the direction the noise had come from.

Blood had splattered against every bush, shrub and tree in the surrounding area. "Fillip?" Niko cried out. there was no response. He ran full speed towards where his brother had gone to look for the ball. Roman followed close behind. "Fillip! Fillip!" The cries became more desperate.

Niko stopped running once he saw the aftermath of what had been a landmine, which was placed to trap enemy soldiers, but had gotten Fillip instead. Roman heard an appalled shriek from behind some bushed. He rushed to his younger cousin, trying to avoid staring straight at the bloody mangled corpses that had been smeared across the mountainside. He bent down to hold Niko. "Niko, calm down," he begged as his cousin heaved and cried. Eventually getting so upset he threw up all over himself. "Breathe deeply."

Niko's breathing calmed, his hysteria subsided and sadness took over. He held his cousin tightly and sobbed heavily into the crook of his neck. Roman lead Niko back down the mountain away from Fillip. Niko, who was too shook to speak just held on tight as his cousin took him home.


	6. Never Be The Same Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niko and Roman mourn Fillip's passing

Niko's father was depressed, he'd fucked off out of town and nobody knew when he'd come back. Niko's mother was even more critical. She hadn't left her bedroom in a few days, not even to eat. Niko didn't know hoe to support his mother through all this, he was struggling to even help himself. Niko realised that childhood was over, the media had taken Fillip's death and turned it into political propaganda. Since then, not one night went by without the sound of gunfire in the air.

Niko didn't know how to cope with his brother's death. He decided to steal a bottle of vodka from his father, who was out of town and wouldn't be able to notice it was gone. Niko wished that his father wouldn't come home. He was an asshole, he prayed he went wherever he did to die. 

Niko caught a bus out of town, he watched the grey, broken town zoom by. He got off at the last stop, he didn't know where he was or how to get home, he just had to be alone for a while. Niko snuck under the bleachers of an old run-down football field that last in use in the eighties. Now, it was the go-to place for all of the citie's junkies to go and shoot up.

Niko sat himself down, took off his backpack and exhaled deeply. Tomorrow was Chrismas, the snow hadn't come in the abundance it had many years before, but the world was still cold. Christmas had never been the fairytale occasion it was portrayed as in the movies, but at least everyone was together, and everyone was happy. This Chrismas Eve, however, nobody is town was happy, because the bombs kept coming, and everyone was receiving letters stating that their sons and brother were dead.

Maybe next year I won't be sad of Christmas. Niko thought as he opened his backpack and pulling out the half full bottle of Vodka. He pulled off the top and put the bottle to his mouth. He jerked his head back and took a swig. It burnt his lips, mouth and neck as he attempted to swallow it. Niko fought the pain and drank it as quickly as possible. When he could no longer take the pain he took his mouth away and gagged. He screwed the top back on and laid down on the grass.

He wanted the fall asleep, it didn't matter if he didn't wake up again, he didn't care. He felt so much fear, he shivered as he lay alone. His mind was made up now, he was going to join the army, he was going to fight. So he could protect his mother, his cousin, his aunt, and the people he cared about. They were so desperate for soldiers he could sign up tomorrow and be shipped off the next day. But he wasn't ready yet, there was so much he hadn't done yet. He would give it a few years, for this war was expected to go on into the twenty-first century.

Niko must have dozed off at some point because the next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake. "Niko, wake up!" A familiar voice said frantically. "Please, don't be dead."

"I'm not dead," Niko mumbled opening his eyes. His vision was blurred and the world was slightly distorted and fuzzy. he was drunk.

"Thank God," Said the voice, it was Roman. Niko's eyes adjusted and saw his cousin's face. It had gone dark, it must have been several hours since Niko fell asleep. Roman sighed. "I thought you were in trouble." He said

"I am," Niko said, the words didn't come out to easy. "My life is falling apart."

"Don't think like that, NB. What happened to our family was relly unfortunate, but we can get through it." Roman forced a smile. Niko always admired how optomistic his cousin was but at this time it was only an annoyance to him.

"You may have the will power to look on the bright side of life Roman, but I don't." He mumbled. Roman sat down beside him.

"Okay, I understand." He said softly.

Niko hugged his legs to his torso, it was another cold night. He turned to roman. "How did you know I was here?" he asked.

"You always go here when you are sad," Roman reminded him. Niko knew he was right, this had always acted as a safe place for him, somewhere where he could be alone. Roman wrapped his arm around his cousin. "Have you been drinking, cousin?" Roman asked.

Niko didn't know if he could be honest with Roman or not, he decided to take a chance. "Yeah," he said quietly. Roman sighed again.

"You are a mess NB, an absolute tragedy." Roman stood up and held his arm out to Niko, offering to help him up off the ground. "Come on cousin, let's go home." Niko took Roman's hand he pulled him to his feet. They both grunted. Niko's legs were weak, they felt like they were made of jelly. Roman helped his cousin to the bus stop, they caught the bus and went home.

****

Roman took Niko back to his house. Niko's aunt made them hot tea and served it along side some cake she had gotten from the market. The death had also affected Roman's mother quite badly. She had loved Fillip, she loves the three of them very dearly and was prepared to move mountains for them all. Fillip couldn't have a proper burial, his body was dismembered beyond recognition and there was only so much the family could recover.

The night Roman and Niko had to go out searching for Fillips body parts amongst the bush and the shrub was a night which would plague their dreams far into adult hood. Life had been a nightmare since then. Roman's mother couldn't find much to say, she tried to be as positive as possible.

"I'd like to invite you and your mother around tomorrow, Niko. For supper." She said calmly. "Since it is Christmas and all." She added as she stirred her tea with a little silver spoon. 

"I'd like that," Niko said as he sipped his tea. "Thank you." Niko's aunt forced a smile, she told the boys that she was going to bed early tonight and that they should do the same. Niko and Roman went upstairs and sat on Roman's mattress on the floor. They slept side by side, together in a small bed. They kept each other feeling warm and feeling safe.

"What would I do without you?' Niko asked his cousin as he fell asleep.

"I was just thinking the same thing," Roman replied.


	7. Rock Bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Final Chapter of Part 1

~ 1993 ~

When Niko was much younger, maybe eight years old, he'd dreamt of being an astronaut. At that age, you set your standard of life high, because nobody has yet told you that life is hard, or at least you haven't figured it out on your own yet. Now, Niko had only one thing on his mind, he wanted to get out of his town, he wanted to bear a gun and he wanted to end the pain for everyone he cared about, that was a cause worth dying for.

It had been two years since Fillip had died, every day since then was nightmare ridden for Niko and Roman both. They'd stopped going out to play after Fillip died, for, on the one hand, it was too depressing, but also because air raids happened almost every night. Niko remembered one night maybe two months after Fillip passed, the planes had flown over and without any warning, they dropped the bombs. He remembered how fast they ran that night, how they knew they'd never run that fast again. They were nearly missing bomb all the way home. Niko cried heavily that night and there was nothing Roman could do to help him.

Since that night, the war had impacted the country heavier and heavier each day. Niko's father had passed and Roman's was very sick. He'd given up on beating down on Roman, for now, he was much bigger and stronger and would be no match for his withering father. Roman's mother tried to look after her husband the best she could but she was poor and quite ill herself. Niko didn't miss his father, and Roman was secretly waiting for his to die. For a period of time, they felt like they couldn't feel anything anymore, they had seen too much.

Roman had gone to a bar with a friend. The friend was kind of dodgy and Niko never had a good feeling about him. His name was Alek and he was involved with forgery. He sold fake ID's fake Passports fake birth and death certificates and they looked really good too. He has given Roman a fake ID for free as a gift and he was definitely taking advantage of it. So, with nothing else to do, Niko decided he was going to pay a visit to the city council.

Niko entered the city council building, pushing the old door and stepping inside. he saw an elderly man in a suit sitting behind a large desk. Niko was always nervous going into the city. The area was very rich but also the main target for enemy soldiers, that's why Niko's mother had always told him to never leave the village under any circumstances ever. but Niko, now fifteen, wanted to rebel. And this is how he'd do it.

"Um," He said aloud, awkwardly. The man behind the desk looked up from his newspaper.

"What?" he snapped at Niko, who felt his heart skip a beat.

"Uh, I wanted to sign up. For the army."

The man raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Really? Well thank Christ." the man started getting up out of his chair. "We need more young men like you if we have a chance at taking down those, bloody Croatians!" The man punched the air viciously.

"Uh, yeah. I guess." Niko said softly.

"How old are you, boy?"

"Eighteen," Niko lied

The man laughed. "Bullshit," He snarled "But this isn't Vietnam, and we ain't yanks. So we can enrol you next year. You're fifteen right?"

"Uh, yeah." Niko stammered, he felt nervous.

"Hm, well come through here, sign yourself up. we'll contact you within the next sixth months or so, if not sooner." He leads Niko into a dirty back room, he was confronted with a room of Middle-aged men smoking cigarettes and talking in a language Niko didn't understand. He stood in the doorway as the man Niko has spoken with retrieved some paperwork from a filing cabinet opposite him before handing it to the young man in the doorway. "Take this and bring it back, we'll contact you sometime in the foreseeable future." Niko just nodded and exited the room, the building and eventually the city.

The walk back to his village was long and tedious, he didn't have any water and he hadn't eaten today, the food was becoming more and more scares with every passing moment, Niko had gone many nights surrendering everything he had to his mother, he often went to bed starving. People from first world nations sometimes sent care packages to poor communities throughout the country but there was never enough for everyone. Niko had also stopped watching the news of a night, all he saw was propaganda, violence and other horrific acts that were trying to push some kind of political agenda. He'd felt really sick seeing some of the things he did on the television, but he knew he had to grow accustomed he was going to serve was he not?

As he walked through his village Niko noticed there was nobody in sight, nobody, in their homes when Niko peaked through the windows, nobody on the street, it was utter silence. Niko worried that there had been an alarm and everyone had gone to their bunkers and he just hadn't heard the sirens but that was very unlikely. After a moment, Niko noticed a vicious cloud of black smoke burning in the sky. And it was towards the direction of the street Niko lived on.

He ran full speed towards the smoke, running through streets and alleyways, past stores and homes, past his school and past the garage where his father worked in the eighties when Niko was young and full of hope. He ran as fast as his bruised legs would take him. Niko knew which house it was as he drew closer, he'd had his suspicions because the man who wanted it never had anything politically correct to say. Niko wasn't surprised someone had come and get him in his dying hours but he never knew it'd be like this.

Romans house stood blackened by flame but still standing on the edge of the street. Niko didn't think twice before he ran in. He knew there was nothing he could do, he knew he was too late but something in him told him he had to do it. The smoke filled the air of the crumbling house, Niko coughed several times as he dug around in the debris. Calling out to whoever may be still inside. As the dust settled around him and what remained of the smoke slowly flew off into the open air, Niko saw her. His aunt.

Her dead body bound and gagged in the corner of the living room, bruises across her face, legs, on her chest and definitely on her genitals.She lay naked in a pool of her own blood, hey eyes still open. Niko couldn't breathe, he tried to focus on anything else but the mangled corpse in the living room. In big letters on the wall was a warning, the kit had been written by enemy soldiers. Niko was too dizzy to read what it said, he tried to no think about it or anything else for that matter. He decided that all he could Dow was untie his aunt, close her eyes and lay a dirty, charred blanket over her face and body. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. He whispered to her body.

Just as Niko had gotten up to leave he heard the coughing and heaving of a sick man in the downstairs bedroom. He turned into the room, to see (to his surprise) his uncle sitting up in his bed. They started at each other for a moment.

"I know I haven't been a good man in this life, Nikola."

"What are you talking about." He snarled trying to hold back the fury, hold back the sadness.

"I wasn't a good father to Roman, and I wasn't a good uncle to you and your brother either."

"No, shit," Niko grumbled, turning to leave.

"Wait," The old man croaked. Niko turned around once again. The man held out a thick envelope. "Give this to Roman will you?" He asked Niko took the envelope.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because that boy is not to come back to this house, he is not to know how his mother died, he is not to know my fate neither. You will give him this money, the money my wife had been saving for him since the day the war started. You give that to him and you tell him to get the fuck away from here. Do you understand me, boy?"

Niko said nothing for a moment. "Yes, sir." He said. "But may I ask, what is your fate?"

The old man frowned. "I'm going to do what you boys should have done a long time ago," he snarled. "I'm going to put a bullet in my head." Niko couldn't respond. "I'll see you in hell, Nikola." Niko just turned away and ran out of the house. He sat on the front steps of the house for about half an hour, waiting for Roman to arrive home. Only ten minutes before Roman showed up did Niko hear the gun go off from inside the house. He flinched at the sound, a wave of panic rippled through him but he knew he had to keep calm, for Roman.

Roman finally showed up at the house, a whole forty minutes after Niko has first returned to the house. When Roman noticed that his house was burnt and the streets were empty he ran as fast as he could towards Niko. He held out his arms to his cousin and Roman rushed into them. "Cousin," Roman sobbed. "W-whats going on?"

Niko tried to think of how to best tell Roman what had happened to his house, to his parents but he couldn't find the words. After a moment Niko just let the words fall out. "I-it was a bomb, cousin. Everything is gone." Roman shook in his cousin's arms with pure fear.

"Where is my mother?" He asked. Niko has promised his to never tell.

"She was inside when it happened, do was your father. " Niko took a deep breath. "Roman I'm so sorry."

Roman sniffled and sobbed. "I know," he said. "I just wished things had turned out differently. Niko's heart was heavy as he watched his cousin break down. The older cousin who had always comforted him when he was sad or afraid when they were younger was now at his weakest moment. He had reached rock bottom.

"Your mother wanted to give you this," Niko said pulling out the envelope full of money. "Take it, it's not a lot but it's a start." Roman took the envelope from Niko's hands and opened it. "Go to America, cousin. Go live the dream. We'll be fine here."

Roman looked up and Niko who had grown several inches taller than him in the last couple of years. "Come with me cousin. We will start over. Together."

Niko laughed slightly. "No Roman, I need to be here for my mother, for our village for our people. I need to do something to make sure this doesn't happen again." He said motioning to the house.

Roman nodded. "You're right, cousin. You need to stay, you know your purpose in this world. You have the power the end all war and famine in Serbia and you would be a fool not to try." Roman smiled encouragingly at his cousin.

"I'm glad you're so supportive." Niko laughed.

Roman wiped away tears as he looked at this cousin. "You too, NB."

Niko walked Roman to his aunt's house a couple of blocks down. He had his arm around the older boy, helping him stay stable while in such a critical state. Niko was angry that things had to end like this. But he decided to take a note out of Roman's book and think optimistically. At least it could never get any worse than this.


End file.
